Queens County Farm Museum

How many people know there is actual farmland in the city? Raise your hands. If you were brought up in the NYC public school system, you bet your nickel you would be raising that hand. I remember doing field trips here to pet the farm animals. All you needed was a nickel bag of feed and the goats were suddenly your best friends. From what I can tell, not much has changed about this place over the decades. In operation since the 1600’s, it remains today as the only historical working farm in the city. It spans over 45 acres and includes a greenhouse, some fields, an orchard, and an herb garden. As a sign of the times, they now sell fresh produce at their farmstand and wine from their greenhouse.

Here are some animals you’ll find at the farm:

In the fall, this month especially, the main attractions are the pumpkin patch and corn maze. This is the only place in the city where you can pretend you’re Charlie Brown waiting for his epic encounter with the Great Pumpkin.

The corn maze is a bit cheesy but still fun for adults. You can choose to do it during the day or at night. Unfortunately, the weekends when you could do it at night have already passed. I would recommend doing the maze anyway – cross it off your list of things that you’ve been meaning to do once in your life.

The farm is at 73-50 Little Neck Parkway in Floral Park, Queens. It is open 7 days a week from 10am to 5pm. Admission is free, unless there is a special event. You can pick pumpkins and do the corn maze on weekends from 11am to 4pm. Pumpkins vary in price depending on the size. The corn maze is $8 for adults and $5 for kids (free for those 3 years and younger). There are also hayrides for $2.

You can reach the farm by taking the E or F Train to Kew Gardens/Union Turnpike Station, then the Q46 Bus (eastbound on Union Turnpike) to the Little Neck Parkway stop. Cross at Union Turnpike and walk North on Little Neck Parkway three blocks to the entrance. If you’re driving, take the Grand Central Parkway East to Exit 24 (Little Neck Parkway), then make a right onto Little Neck Parkway and drive three blocks to the entrance. Parking is on the street.